Rider costumes work on a trick of perspective. A small stuffed figure sits astride the dog's back with its legs dangling either side, and from a few paces away it reads as a tiny cowboy going about his business on a very patient horse. The joke lands from across a room or a park, which is where almost everybody will see it, and it lands without the dog wearing anything over the face or the feet.

The whole thing straps on and adjusts, so it can be set to sit securely without being hauled tight, and there are four sizes from S to XL. The rider sits over the spine rather than around the shoulders, which follows the same principle as anything worn on a dog's back: keep the weight and the fabric off the shoulder joint and out of the armpit, and most dogs will carry on as normal instead of freezing where they stand.

• Rider figure that sits astride the back
• Adjustable straps
• Four sizes: S, M, L and XL
• Yellow colourway
• Nothing worn over the face or paws

On wear. Novelty costumes are for short supervised periods. Take it off before your dog is left alone, before bed, and before any play with other dogs, since dangling legs are precisely the sort of thing another dog will grab hold of. Chest girth behind the front legs is the measurement to check against the size guide before ordering.

Who it's for: confident, unbothered dogs, and owners who want the costume that gets the biggest reaction on the Halloween walk.